The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, is a monument in the EUR neighbourhood of Rome, a symbol of Fascist architecture. The building is also called the Square Colosseum for its tiers of 216 arches laid out equally over the four sides, a visual reminder of the Colosseum and an architectural element typical of Italy and Rome in particular.
It was designed for the 1942 World Expo, and construction began in 1938 but was interrupted in 1943 by the war and picked up later on. Built to a project designed by Guerrini, La Padula and Romano, it is a parallelepiped with four equal sides whose structure is reinforced concrete entirely faced in travertine marble. There are 54 arches on each façade, a number chosen by Mussolini himself so that his name and surname could be reproduced both horizontally and vertically. To the sides of the two staircases that face each other are four sculptural groups of the Dioscuri by Morbiducci and Felci while a further 28 marble statues stand beneath the first row of arches.
Restored between 2006 and 2008 by the Ministry of Culture and EUR S.p.A. the building is today occupied by the headquarters of Maison Fendi and also includes an exhibition space open to the public which periodically programmes cultural events.
Roma Lazio Film Commission
Via Tuscolana 1055 — 00173 Roma
Phone: +39 06 72286273/320
Fax: +39 06 722 1127
Email: info@romalaziofilmcommission.it
